The big freeze

With recent developments in technology and style, refrigeration products are cooler than ever

When temperatures soar in the Middle East, there are few things more important than ensuring your F&B products are kept cool. Refrigeration equipment has come a long way since the days of the box freezer — there are now a variety of refrigeration products on the market, from wine coolers to in-room mini-fridges, and companies are constantly developing new technologies and offerings for the hospitality market.

But which products will benefit your hotel? And what sort of refrigeration products should you invest in to ensure value for money?

In order to guarantee that you are purchasing the right refrigeration equipment for your hotel, Dometic MENA regional director Göran Anninger advises consumers to look for long-term value in their investment choices.

“If you select to work with a manufacturer with local presence and a strong track record you eliminate many pitfalls. As always investing in good quality pays,” he explains.

It has also become vital, adds Emerson business development manager MENA Amitesh Singh, to consider the use of energy efficient technology, as hotels — and hotel guests — are becoming more environmentally aware.

“Capital costs and payback periods are basic [consumer demands], but now end users look for more energy efficient and reliable technologies like scroll compressors from their refrigeration equipment,” Singh asserts.

With the demands of end-users changing, it is important that companies supplying refrigeration equipment roll with the times and maintain their market presence by developing and introducing new products to the market.

“The latest addition to our hotel range is a combined wine cellar / mini-bar. You can now offer guests full size bottles of wines kept at serving temperature, plus a selection of the usual mini-bar assortment, in the rooms,” says Anninger.

Ensuring that refrigeration equipment is attractive to hotel guests is certainly an important element in the development of new products. EuroCave SA Chef De Zone area manager Florence Bonnier maintains that part of the appeal of its products is the aesthetic

“EuroCave presents cabinets that showcase the wines and offer an ideal tasting temperature for the consumer,” Bonnier says.

“It offers its clients the possibility to opt for different types of design to best fit in with the restaurant’s design, [including] finish (standard, leather, wood, stainless steel),door (full glass, glass, full stainless steel or stainless steel frame), and shelves (storage, sliding or presentation).”

Other exciting new developments in the refrigeration field include the introduction of new technologies and applications to comply with refrigeration regulations.

“Within the Dometic Group we work with several refrigeration technologies, each with its specific applications,” explains Anninger. “Our mini-bars use the silent absorption system. Generally speaking new EU regulations concerning energy consumption mean manufacturers need to develop technologies to ensure their products meet these requirements. Dometic is well placed having made substantial advances in this field.”

“Globally yes [there have been new developments],” agrees Singh.

“The majority of the refrigeration applications are moving towards scroll compressors for racks and condensing unit applications. The Middle East region has been slow to adapt to the changes, but it is gradually catching up due to the inherent advantages of the scroll technology, for example, increased efficiency, improved reliability and the options for modulation.”

Regionally, manufacturers agree that customers are looking for value for money, a large capacity of storage space, and product efficiency — with an emphasis of energy (and therefore money) saving.

“Recent times have seen preference for high efficiency ZX refrigeration condensing units for small cold room applications. ZX units feature advanced diagnostic capabilities, which increases the reliability along with unique compression technology using scroll compressors,” says Singh.

“We currently have two best sellers; the V283 model, glass door with sliding shelves and the Dual zone,” Bonnier reveals.
“Both of those models are meeting key requirement from the professionals, which include: the wine bottles being highlighted; the possibility to store up to 235 bottles, in a minimum space, at a precise service temperature for white wines or red wines; and several types of alarms that look after the wines.”